Author: Ada Blood

Moderna and pharmaceutical giant Merck have been partnering on a possible melanoma vaccine since 2016. Yesterday they announced progress in developing the preventative shot for a deadly form of skin cancer. The companies reported their findings on a small study of patients who had the cancer surgically removed. They claim a combination of the vaccine and Keytruda had led to statistically significant improvement in survival rates, before the cancer returned in patients with advanced melanoma. “We are very excited, we are moving very quickly with Merck onto phase 3 for this study,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said. All clinical trails…

HBO giveth and HBO taketh away. Despite HBO Max renewing the show “Minx” for season 2 back in May, the cabler has now decided the cancel it. Apparently right as they were wrapping production on the season. This is just the latest in a wave of cost-cutting measures due to the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.  Part of the deal with Discovery buying WarnerMedia was that CEO David Zaslav promised shareholders they could find $3.5 billion in savings within the newly combined company. This has led to a wave of drastic, and often perplexing budget cuts. This deal has already cost…

Disney+ has officially greenlit a pilot for a “Witch Mountain” series, based on the film series. The first film is “Escape to Witch Mountain” from 1975 which is based on the 1968 Alexander Key novel of the same name. This spawned 2 sequels “Return from Witch Mountain” in 1978 and “Beyond Witch Mountain” in 1982. A made-for-television remake in 1995. And, a reboot attempt in 2009 with “Race to Witch Mountain” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and a VERY young Alexander Ludwig (“Vikings”). The planned “Witch Mountain” pilot will reportedly be a more “modern” take on the story of two…

Filmmaker Demián Rugna is back with a new horror movie, “When Evil Lurks” (“Cuando Acecha La Maldad”). This film will be produced under the Argentina base La Puerta Roja and the horror streaming service Shudder.  La Puerta Roja is a joint venture between Roxana Ramos’ Aramos Cine (“The Silent Party”) and Fernando Díaz’s Machaco Films (“Terrified”).  Shudder is an AMC-owned platform, and this will be it’s first Spanish-language original. “When Evil Lurks” is described as a rural possession thriller. It tells the story of two brothers that find a mutilated corpse near their property and convene with the locals to…

It’s hard to look at a body of work like James Cameron’s and find an “underrated” or “forgotten” film. But when you stack movies like “Titanic” and “Avatar” up against 1989’s “The Abyss,” that’s exactly what it becomes.  “The Abyss” follows a civilian diving team who enlist to help search for a lost nuclear submarine. When their submarine crashes unexpectedly the government sends in the Navy SEALS to help. This results in them having to face down a dangerous aquatic alien species. The film has gained a cult following but due to it being an earlier effort by Cameron it…

“Joker: Folie à Deux” director Todd Phillips shared a teaser image from the first day of filming. “Folie à Deux” will be the much-anticipated musical sequel to Phillips’ 2019 hit film, “Joker.” The director shared the image to his official Instagram account. It was simply captioned “Day 1. Our boy. #joker.” In the picture, we see Joaquin Phoenix returning to the role of Arthur Fleck.  While plot details for “Joker: Folie à Deux” remain a closely guarded secret this image does back up a few details we already knew. Fleck is shown reclining while having his face shaved by someone…

Have you ever wanted to own a piece of the social media platform Twitter? Now is your chance! Starting January 17th, the social media giant will be holding an online auction. Dozens of pieces of memorabilia and supplies from its San Francisco headquarters will be included. Current items include some run-of-the-mill office supplies like a projector, standing desks, and a lot of espresso machines. There’s also two semi-utilitarian pedal-powered Rock the Bike phone charging stations. Along with some funner items like kegerator beer dispensers and a six-foot-tall decorative planter in the shape of an @ symbol. A seemingly symbolic large…

Horror icon Doug Bradley is set to star in a new film, “Thorns.” Written and directed by Michigan’s own Douglas Schulze (“Mimesis”), has been developing the project for two years. “Thorns” is an apocalyptic horror film about a former priest working for NASA. He is sent to investigate a remote observatory that went silent after receiving a mysterious radio signal from deep space. When the priest arrives he discovers the signal opened up a portal letting a thorned monster on the loose. He must now summon all his lost faith to stop the signal from starting a world ending chain…

Earlier this month pop sensation Backstreet Boys filmed “A Very Backstreet Holiday” in Los Angeles. It features original members Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough performing hits from their 10th album “A Very Backstreet Christmas.” Seth Rogen, Meghan Trainor, Rob Riggle, Nikki Glaser, Ron Funches, and Atsuko Okatsuka made appearances as well. The special was set to air on December 14th, on ABC. Due to allegations Nick Carter raped a then 17-year-old girl during the band’s tour in 2001, the Disney-owned network has chosen to pull the special. Shannon Ruth filed a sexual battery lawsuit,…

M. Night Shyamalan’s next written and directed horror movie “Knock at the Cabin” has just received an R-rating by the MPA (Motion Picture Association) for violence and language. This is surprising, since Shyamalan hasn’t made an R-rated horror film since 2008’s “The Happening.” His other forays into gene- “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs,” “The Village,” “Split,” “The Visit,” and “Old”- are all rated PG or PG-13. Shyamalan certainly seems thrilled to be back. “I will tell you this: strangely, it was the fastest script I’ve ever written. Signs would have had that title prior to Knock at the Cabin,” he said.…